Vancouver’s National Day of Action on the Overdose Crisis

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Vancouver’s National Day of Action on the Overdose Crisis

Guest 1

Vancouver Safe Supply of Drugs

A “New Orleans style” Processional Parade (costumes recommended ) with brass band , performance artists and DIY floats will leave Insite at 11:15 am and make its way to the Vancouver Art Gallery .When the parade arrives at the Gallery there will be info kiosks from various User Groups, a panel discussion on Safe Supply and decriminalization followed by a Press Conference.

This year we are fortunate to have members from the Podcast “Crackdown” as well as a booth from Capud’s “speakers corner ” project “Prohibition Transmission!” and much more!

JOIN us in the Parade or enter your float in the float making challenge..(prizes for team,individual and organisations). please contact us at david.mendes@capud.ca or jordanwestfall87@gmail.com. if you can volunteer with the art groups or at the gallery and or Insite the day of!

Tina is a front-line worker in the downtown east side who says she is dedicated to saving lives since August 2016. She is the MC of the event and that event is a parade for the National Day of Action on the Overdose Crisis. The day of action is a day to demand requests from the government at a federal level, provincial level and at the municipal level. The request is having a safe supply of drugs. “People need safe drugs” says Tina. She touched on the fact that every life matters, and no life is disposable Tina used an example that if water was poisoned the government would spare no expenses getting people clean water. 10,000 people have died from drug overdoses in Canada in the last 3 years.

The parade is going to go from Insight to the Vancouver Art Gallery there will be a press conference, panel discussions, some drug user groups, Crackdown the podcast will also be there. The goal is to bring awareness and unite. Giuseppe then talks about how Talk Recovery has been on air for 5 years now and the goal of the radio show is to unite all different opinions and types of health care. Talk Recovery believes that everything works and every path to recovery should have a voice.

Treatment on demand “sucks” says Tina, it can take several weeks to get into treatment in Canada and sometimes even longer. She believes that does not work for a using addict who is in addiction. If you have money and have a good job to pay for treatment, then you can get help with your addiction right away but if you are looking for a government funded bed you do not get in right away and you are stuck in addiction struggling.

Even though there is going to be a safe supply of drugs the question is, are drugs still safe? Tina said she had a 20-year cocaine addiction and she overdosed once in 20 years of being in addiction with drugs. Since she moved downtown Vancouver in 2016 she has never seen so many overdoses take place, when she walks from the class she teaches to the bus stop she sees multiple dead bodies from SRO’s public bathrooms and on the street from overdoses from drugs.

Guest 2

Personal Story with Allen K: Overcoming Addiction

Alan is a 33-year-old man from Toronto, he moved out to BC 2 years ago living in Nanaimo, he came out from Toronto in active addiction and seeked help for his addiction to find recovery. Before Alan came to BC he tried addiction treatment multiple times in cities such as Toronto, Miami and Minnesota. When Alan was asked what did not work for him he said that when he went to treatment for addiction his first couple times he said he was not ready to be clean and find recovery. Alan said he thinks any treatment centre can work for anyone if they want to be clean. Alan says he thinks to find recovery from addiction it takes being honest, open and willing to participate in recovery.

Alan said that he believes addiction runs through genetic disposition, he has had family members suffer with addiction and he believes he suffered through the same thing. Alan said he grew up privileged and had two parents that really cared about him, but he feels like he lacked self worth that lead to addictive behaviours.

Alan once had 13 months clean which is the most he has gotten to since he started using, he said he was not working his program of recovery to the best of his ability. Alan said when he started to not work his program to the best of his ability he became less into doing the next right thing all the time and those addictive behaviours started to surface again. He was also in an unhealthy relationship and lost his personal growth in his recovery.

Now he lives away from his family he does try to go back to Toronto to see his daughter as he has a 5-year-old but Alan feels as he is doing the right thing by staying in New Westminster, BC because this is where he says his friends are and this is where he feels safe and he feels he can stay in recovery from addiction.

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Talk Recovery airs live every Thursday at noon on 100.5 FM, Vancouver Coop Radio. The Last Door produces this weekly radio show discussing the many pathways to addiction recovery. To end stigma we must continue to talk about recovery. Talk Recovery is in its 7th Season, Hundreds of guests, thousands of listeners, thank you. Show ideas? Email community@lastdoor.org